Okinawa part 2 – Architecture

Okinawa is home to some very unique architecture. It ranges from large, plain above ground tombs, to old farm houses, to a very particular way of tiling a roof.

First, one of the main architectural features that differs from prefecture to prefecture in Japan is the color and style of the roof tiles. Up here in Akita, they use shiny black roof tiles, but the tiles on Okinawa are orange with large patches of white grout to hold them down. Perhaps this has something to do with the strong typhoon winds which periodically rip through the islands.

“Ill-advised; Ill-equipt; I was against it from the start.” Hugh Swift – Funky Trekking Motto

Links

“The third stage, above the barracks, consisted of warehouses, bakeries, kitchens, and other residential rooms. The view from this stage is magnificent, but the way to it should only be attempted by the most ardent enthusiasts”

Nancy Hatch Dupree [describing the horrendous climb to the top of Shar-i-Zohak, the ruins of a castle destroyed by Genghis Khan, at the entrance to the Bamiyan Valley] – An Historical Guide to Afghanistan (1977)